1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sign and a guidepost and, more particularly, to a sign and a guidepost that are generally located adjacent or on roadways and like areas traveled by vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties are encountered in providing suitable posts for mounting road-reflective devices, particularly where the areas are located in or at high-risk areas. It is common practice to provide guideposts along the edges of roadways and other places where it is desirable to provide motorists with readily seen visual indications of the limits of the areas to be traversed by the vehicles.
Conventionally, these guideposts are made of metal, and have flat upper portions painted white; and are provided with glass or plastic reflectors to impart night visibility. It is a major expense to maintain these guideposts because, frequently, they are struck by passing vehicles and bent over so that they become useless. Normally, one blow from a vehicle is sufficient to damage a guidepost beyond repair, so that the entire unit must be replaced.
The damage is not limited to guideposts, because these metal members are solid enough to dent a vehicle when struck. Also, they have resilience so that, after being struck, they are first bent over and then whip back in the opposite direction. The latter movement frequently will cause the post to strike some portion of the vehicle before it has passed by, thereby causing additional damage.
Further problems caused by these guideposts are the vulnerability of their glass and plastic reflectors which are easily damaged -- either by being struck by vehicles or through vandalism.
Other forms of guideposts have been tried and have also met with various problems. Some forms are made from elastic polyethylene wherein the post provides an elongated tubular body, some of these having circular or triangular cross-sectional shapes. However, due to these shapes, the useable life period for such forms has been found to be limited to approximately three or four strikes from vehicles. Weak areas at the bending point develop and again create a maintenance problem.
Thus, the known road guideposts still leave the unsolved problem of providing a reliable post having an extended life period, wherein the post can be struck repeatedly by vehicles, and yet will immediately return to an upright position. Thus, the present device as herein disclosed includes a novel cross-sectional configuration that answers the above problems.